Fast IT has the power to completely transform the role and the value of IT to the business. It is a critical imperative for those CIOs who want to transform themselves from the mere owners of technology stacks to thedrivers of their enterprise's digital transformation.

CIOs must reinvent the mission and role of the IT department. It's no longer good enough to be a competent internal IT provider. Going forward, CIOs and their teams must become what analyst firm Gartner calls "trusted brokers" of all IT services, delivered either in-house or by a dynamic roster of external suppliers. Quite simply, it's a matter of survival: if nothing is done, the traditional IT department will be "Uber-ised", just like the traditional taxi industry is currently being disrupted.

To understand Cisco's lean, results-driven approach to Fast IT, please take a look at our latest white paper:

Build your Strategic Roadmap to Fast IT

As depicted on the diagram below, Fast IT encompasses ITaaS, Hybrid Cloud, Bi-modal IT and Hybrid IT.

Feeling confused? Here's a short lexicon:

• Hybrid IT:modern IT operating model (=organisation/people + processes + technologies) shifting the focus from being a provider only, to becoming a broker of IT services
• Hybrid Cloud:The focus is ontechnology, seamlessly bridging private, partner, community and public clouds
• ITaaS (IT as a Service):The focus is onprocesses, providing a self-service model built for scale and cost-efficiencies
• Bi-modal IT:The focus is onorganisation/people, combining "system of records" teams (built for efficiency and stability) with "system of engagements" teams (built for flexibility and speed)
• Fast IT:The result of it all: afast, efficient, cost-effective system of IT provisioning, that finally meets business needs

Are you considering to embark on the journey to Fast IT? Better get a good heads-up of what's coming:

• Don't underestimate the time it will take shift to Fast IT.This transformational journey spans years, not months.
• Guarantee the commitment of CXOs.Buy-in and endorsement from senior IT and business leaders is crucial.
• Abandon traditional thinking.Don't let IT's organisational structure, activities, budgets, or architecture define your services.
• Don't expect to get service taxonomy right the first time.There is no perfect list for the types and quantity of service offerings.
• Define services from the user perspective only.Developing a catalogue of services from this perspective might require radical thinking.
• Don't confuse IT services with the activities that the IT team performs.Mixing them up will dilute the value of the services IT provides.
• A service catalogue is about information.The shiniest, latest IT tool won't do the job if the information inside it doesn't resonate with users.
• Fill the service catalogue with what your users need and want:Prioritise items. Not everything can or should go into the catalogue at once.
• Promote employee acceptance of change.A transition on the scale of Fast IT will create concerns and questions among employees. Allay their concerns through ongoing awareness and education efforts and back the transformation with a solid organisational change management plan.

Cisco has deep IT expertise, hands-on experience with IT transformation and a very practical approach to the many challenges that lie ahead. It's a combination that has won us a trusted place at the heart of many Fast IT initiatives throughout the world.

We can help you modernise your IT operations.

Interested to engage with us? Please contact [email protected].